


Unknown Territory

by When_The_Cicadas_Die



Category: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni | Higurashi When They Cry
Genre: F/F, F/M, Modern AU, Some crack elements, mostly serious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-21
Updated: 2020-11-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 08:08:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27650021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/When_The_Cicadas_Die/pseuds/When_The_Cicadas_Die
Summary: [A modern-style AU set not in 1983, but 2020.]The tale of Hinamizawa as seen through Rika Furude's empty eyes is a tragically beautiful one. She had endured a hundred years of suffering, being thrown back into the same world of June 1983 over and over again, stumbling and desperately hoping to save her friends from their painful fate. Thanks to what should have been an impossible miracle, she succeeded, and they all lived happily ever after. But what if some witches, plagued by boredom, blew the dust off that resolved gameboard and had a taste for more fun? Rika, a puppet and slave to them, is thrown back onto the gameboard once more. Only this time, the rules have been altered in a certain someone's favour.
Relationships: Furude Rika/Houjou Satoko, Houjou Satoshi/Sonozaki Shion, Maebara Keiichi/Sonozaki Mion, Ryuuguu Rena/Sonozaki Shion
Comments: 7
Kudos: 17





	Unknown Territory

**Author's Note:**

> [Fair warning: I don't intend for this to be incredibly serious at some points. There will be memes and stupid light-hearted crack. But later down the line, there will be dark moments weaved into what appears to be a fun, endearing world. This is Higurashi, after all.]

Somewhere, in the middle of who knew where, a purple-tinted void stretched out as far as the eye could see. That space could have been as big as the entire universe, or it could’ve been the size of a simple cardboard box. What did it matter? No one was around to witness it. Such details were unnecessary.

Somewhere, in the midst of that weird void, sat a woman in a puffy black dress. Rather, she wasn’t exactly sitting, but floating in a position that mimicked one of resting in a chair. Her eyes matched the shade of purple surrounding her, and they looked just as dull and empty, too. She was staring forward in silence at… something. Didn’t seem like there was much entertainment in these parts.

Where had she come from? How long had she even been there? She didn’t know, nor care. All that mattered was the comforting warmth of the steam rising from a cup of black tea. Obviously, that left more questions than answers, but this was a question arc, so whatever. Or was it? Hmm.

However the circumstances of her existence in this place came to be, it all seemed irrelevant to her. She was just chilling, enjoying the peace and quiet around her. Not pulling her eyes from the, um, ‘view’ ahead of her, she curled a finger around the teacup’s handle and took a small sip. Although she showed no external emotion, her eyes softened ever so slightly in admiration of the delicious flavour. This was truly the peak of her life. Nothing could possibly top such a wonderful moment.

Suddenly, something began to vibrate in her pocket (don’t ask what traditional dresses have pockets); almost immediately, a loud song of some sort blasted out, shattering the peaceful atmosphere of the once dull void.

“Mm?” She lowered the cup onto the saucer resting on her lap, eyebrows raising ever so slightly. The tail – with a cute blue ribbon wrapped around the end – poking out of her dress stood alert too, at the abrupt piano waltz ringtone.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a relatively outdated mobile phone. As long as it received calls and messages, she did not care to update. A name was on screen. ‘Auau (Side Hoe)’. Deadpan, she set the phone down on her lap, squeezing it in place beside her tea. With reluctance, she accepted and set it to speaker.

“Huhuhu! Good morning, my faithful miko! Or is it evening?”

That obnoxious giggle almost made the woman shudder. Almost. “Don’t know. The signal in here has gone all faulty again. The time on this phone is all messed up.” She answered, nonchalant as always, in that monotone voice.

“It must be morning. Did you just wake up? You sound so tired and cranky… Huhuhuhuhu…!” She cackled once more, somehow more obnoxiously than the last time.

“How may I be of assistance, Great Lady Featherine?” She forced the pleasantries. “I was quite enjoying my time of relaxation, you know.”

“Hoh? How long has it been since you last contacted the outside world?” Although she was the cat lady’s superior, sometimes she acted a bit too childish, like she was the younger one or something.

She paused to think, narrowing her eyes a bit. Unfortunately, the thought escaped her. “Don’t know,” she said again.

“Well, I have the perfect excuse for you to get out of that boring old void for a while, my precious miko!” It was obvious she was grinning from ear to ear right now. “ _Ahem!_ I, Witch of Theatergoing, Great Lady Featherine, hereby summon you, Lady Bernkastel, to join me for another gameboard! Huhuhu!~”

Her tail flopped down in disappointment. Her first instinct was to reject the offer, as rude as it would be. “I’m afraid my interests have surpassed those games for children.” She turned it down as graciously as she could.

“Eh? B-But…!” Featherine stumbled, clearly shaken by Bernkastel’s cruelty. “I didn’t even get a chance to explain what I’ve been working on…”

The witch felt a tinge of _something_ stir within her. Damn emotions. She cursed herself for spending so much time with someone who still felt things such as guilt and a whole host of other crap. She sighed. “What is it?”

“Oh!” Featherine immediately brightened up. “Do you remember the gameboard of Hinamizawa, June 1983?”

Bernkastel felt her heart practically leap out of her chest at the mention of that god forsaken place. That oh-so familiar place. Her external expression showed nothing of the utter Hell she relived in a split second within her mind. There was a pause of about a whole second before she answered calmly. “Why, yes. I do.” Practically everybody loved to feel that sweet rush of trauma after almost thirty whole years, after all.

“Well… How about a rematch…?” Featherine was probably smirking on the other end of the phone, wherever her devilish self was residing.

For the first time in quite a while, Bernkastel felt the trickle of a single bead of cold sweat down her cheek. She had already won. There was no need to return to that. “Hmm? Where has this come from, Auau?”

“Hmmm… Hmm indeed…” She playfully mocked her miko. Featherine could tell Bernkastel would be squirming right about now, and she loved that. “No need to worry so much. Let us just call it… a friendly little rematch. No high stakes, no pressure… But ever since you so gracefully solved that logic error for me, I’ve had an itch to return to that world.”

The Witch of Miracles made a grab for her cooling tea. She took a big gulp in frustration. “Why now? I was done with that song and dance almost thirty years ago. Besides… I solved the logic error. What could you possibly get out of a rematch? I know Hinamizawa and its rules like the back of my hand.” Even though her voice remained calm, that was her way of lashing out at the sadistic Auaurora. By bragging and putting her hubris on display, of course.

“Oh, come now. I realise you would be bored with the same old Hinamizawa, so I wanted to spice things up a little bit.” It sounded like she was pulling a pouty face, toying with Bernkastel. “But I don’t want to spoil it. I believe we should start from the beginning all over again… or, well, close enough to the beginning.”

The witch crossed one leg over the other. “That doesn’t sound fair. I would be at a disadvantage, wouldn’t I?” She took a smaller sip of tea. Not just that, but she only got her title as Witch of Miracles because she pinpointed _the one and only_ fragment from a sea of millions to secure her victory. Gaining that a second time… was surely impossible.

Featherine snickered in a devious tone. “Don’t worry. I promise, I’ve ironed out those logic errors. It will not be impossible for you to win.”

“Yes, _that_ logic error was quite troublesome. Are you sure you won’t leave me to rot if this gameboard is also cursed?” She took a well-earned jab at the supposed theatergoing master.

“Huhuhu!~ Don’t worry, don’t worry. It’s all in good fun.” She responded without a hint of doubt, in a kindly reassuring tone, so Bernkastel had no choice but to believe her.

“Well… I do suppose I have nothing else to do around here just yet…” She trailed her glance across the endless void. “And my tea is getting cold. I’ll have to come for a refill.”

“Perfect, perfect!” Featherine could be heard clapping her hands together. “I’ll let you know a few core details and such, but this is a brand new take, okay? I shall summon you when I’ve got my papers together and aligned the pieces. Until then!”

Bernkastel exhaled heavily once the other hung up. A new gameboard. It wasn’t that much of a big deal, right? Perhaps she’d gotten a bit rusty since her last game of chess, but that was fine. All she had to do was wait to be summoned and hear the details of Featherine’s game.

Just as she was about to put her phone away, that same piano waltz ringtone went off for a second time. The contact name popping up was different. ‘Lambda (Main Hoe)’. Bern’s eyes lit up ever so slightly in delight. She accepted the call much quicker than the last.

“Hey hey, Bern!” Her cutesy, high-pitched voice in that moment made it sound like she was ready to physically burst from excitement.

A smirk pulled at the blue-haired witch’s lips. “Let me guess. Auaurora invited you to the newest gameboard, too.”

“Pff… hehehehe! How did you know!?” Lambda immediately let out a snort. “Of course she did! So, did you accept? Did you?”

“Fufufu… I didn’t give her a direct answer, but I must admit, I am intrigued,” she cackled. “And now that I know you will be playing against me once more…”

“Oh, the thought just gets me all hot…” Lambda spoke in an exaggerated seductive voice, before breaking that ridiculous character and letting out a roar of laughter. “This is probably the best idea Lady Featherine has ever had!”

Bern shrugged to herself, containing her excitement. “It may be up there, sure. Well, let’s not talk on the phone too much. I want it to be extra special when I see your beautiful face.”

“Oooh! Heehee, you’re too much, too much! Alright, okay, I’ll see you soon.” If Bernkastel could see Lambdadelta’s face, she would surely be bright red right now.

With a light laugh, the witch hung up. She felt a whole lot more at ease, knowing a friend would be by her side. Although she was still the same cold witch as thirty years ago, her heart had been chipped away at and softened ever so slightly thanks to the love of Lambdadelta. She would still make sure that she would hold nothing back when it came to fighting on the gameboard, however.

She slipped her eyes shut, awaiting to be summoned by Featherine.

…

“Mm… mmh…?” A soft mumble passed a young girl’s lips. Her tightly shut eyelids twitched as she apparently finally awakened from a deep sleep. “Ah…!” A sharp gasp escaped her and she shot upright, her messy blue hair flailing about wildly as she did so.

A dull, purple sky loomed above; a whole sea’s worth of crystal shards were scattered all around. Possibly even more than that. “Where…? What?” She hissed, scanning the area in nothing but confusion. A knot formed and tightened in her stomach, head still fuzzy from the slumber she awoke from. She had been laying on the hard, cold ground.

Right before her eyes, a familiar figure phased into existence, making themselves visible. A beautiful, glowing figure – a remnant of a long lost spirit, purple locks flowing as she floated above the ground. The girl trailed her glance up and down, jaw practically dropped. The other’s eyes sparkled and reflected a hint of guilt and despair. Hollow, empty, distraught.

“Hanyuu?” Although she let out a sigh of relief, grateful beyond words that she was not in this place alone, she still felt confused.

“Rika… I…” The Goddess herself likely felt the exact same way as her distant ancestor; a tinge of relief, yet greatly overwhelmed by bewilderment that mostly left her speechless.

“For a moment, I thought you weren’t here…” A weak smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. “Where exactly is _here,_ though?”

Hanyuu quietly sighed. “I’ve been asleep for so long… It took me a little longer than usual to be summoned back. We… are in the sea of fragments.”

In that moment, Rika felt as though all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. As if she’d been punched in the gut, eyes widening as soon as she heard. It all came rushing back to her. The memories of those hundred-something years, which had slowly faded over time into a bad dream in the back of her mind. But when she set sights on a straying shard of crystal traversing across that dull purple sky like a cloud, nausea struck. She immediately clamped a palm over her mouth to stop herself from screaming in panic and fear.

“R-Rika…!” Hanyuu gasped, not knowing what to do. She had never seen the teenager in such a distraught state before. And even if she wanted to extend a warm hand of comfort, her transparent body would phase right through the other’s physical. “I… I’m so sorry, I…”

She screwed her eyes shut. She didn’t want to believe. It had to be a nightmare. After all, she’d had horrifically realistic dreams of that time before. She just had to convince herself to wake up, and she would find herself tucked away in bed, right next to her closest friend. Slowly, after the initial shock began to subside, she tore her palm from her mouth, fingers all sweaty and sticky. She stared back up at Hanyuu, a mere pathetic whisper being all she could manage. “Please… tell me this is a bad dream…”

“Believe me, I have no idea what is going on, either…!” Hanyuu whimpered, lower lip quivering. She lowered herself to her knees, down to Rika’s height. “I’ve been asleep for… at least five years now… Ever since your victory, in order to let you live a normal life, I stored away the remains of my power. I was suddenly forced awake and… and now we’re here…!”

“Then, if this isn’t your doing…” Rika frantically shook her head, refusing to accept the reality of the situation. “Let me guess. This fragment leads to June, 1983 _again._ ” In order to cope, she pushed aside the dread within her heart and replaced it with a facade of bitter anger. She scowled.

“Au auuu…” Hanyuu whined once more. Those piercing, accusatory eyes stung deep. She felt even worse when she couldn’t give an answer.

“What? What is it?” The girl demanded, after just a short pause. But only because she recognised some uncertainty and hesitation flashing over the little mouse’s face. “Hey, tell me…!”

“I-I don’t know!” She burst out, before bowing her head all apologetically, practically begging to be spared from the other’s fiery wrath.

Rika narrowed her eyes, reeling back. “You… don’t know…?” she repeated. With a tut, she pressed further. “What do you mean you don’t know? This can’t lead to anywhere other than June, 1983.”

“I don’t understand either…” She slowly peered up, wearing a timid, sorrowful expression. “I briefly looked at the fragment. It’s a world that… I can’t seem to recognise.”

The girl let out an irritated grunt, before rising to her feet and glaring down at Hanyuu. “Fine. It’s no problem. If I must be forced to tossed the dice, and once again return to the body of my younger self, then I’ll accept it…” No matter how much it hurts, she continued internally. She turned to glare at the sea of fragments in the distance, turning the anger she felt into determination. “I’m sure this world will be the same. It’s been five years, so I don’t blame you if you’ve forgotten what it looks like. But I assure you I have not. I’ll reach out and effortlessly grab that victory back…!”

Hanyuu could only blankly stare up at Rika, watching as the girl clenched her fists. She admired the confidence, but part of her knew it wouldn’t last. “As long as you’re sure.” She was adamant she’d recognise that world, without a doubt. There was no way she would be mistaken… Right? She simply kept the negativity to herself, lowering her eyes to the cracked ground, with a pitiful pout.

…

A sweet melody drifting from some other room in the house greeted Rika Furude a good morning, after a peaceful night of sleep. It took her a few seconds to clear her fuzzy head from the now fading world of fragments; to adjust to being back in what she assumed to be 1983. The covers wrapped snugly around her briefly reminded her of a time when she could physically embrace her little Goddess friend.

“Rikaaaa, wake up sleepyhead, we’re going to be late if you don’t get out of bed right this second!”

“Hmmm…?” Why did it sound like Satoko was calling out to her from _downstairs?_ Rika’s eyelids twitched a bit until she finally built up the motivation to get out of bed and face _everything_ all over again. When she opened her eyes, nothing could prepare her for what she laid her sights upon. “E-Eh…!?”

The bed she was lying in… the décor, the furniture… the entire bedroom was completely different than the one she lived in for the past hundred plus years. She was caught off guard for a good moment or two, growing stiff as a board in shock, lower lip trembling ever so slightly. It was as if she was in a stranger’s house, rather than her own.

She sucked in a deep breath, reminding herself to keep composed. Even though it was difficult to steady her pounding heart, she gulped with a drying mouth and pushed off the pastel blue bedsheets. Of course, she freaked out all over again when she caught a glimpse of her, ahem, _very different body,_ as opposed to the eleven-year-old body she figured she’d have. ‘I… I’m still… sixteen?’ she thought to herself, head spinning. Something was indeed wrong here. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stomped her bare feet onto the wooden floor, a bit frantic now.

A calendar. That was what she needed. She quickly scanned the unfamiliar bedroom for it, hoping that one would be plastered somewhere on a wall… And just as she thought she was out of luck, one was residing underneath a clock. 7AM.

Rika fixated on it, anxiety setting in once more. She slowly read out the date. “June… 10… R-Rei...wa…?” She struggled a bit to repeat the name of an era she had never seen, then attempted to calculate what year it could be in her head. “Reiwa 2… That’s, um… ah…” Naturally, since she’d only just lived to see the end of the Showa period, there was no way she could’ve guessed.

A light knock at the bedroom door snapped her out of thought. She gasped, a little startled at the interruption, and she lost her train of thought.

“Rika! How many times must I tell you? Are you awake yet or not?” The lecturing voice of her best friend, Satoko Hojo, came from the other side of the door.

‘Relax. At least Satoko is still here. Wherever ‘here’ is…’ The girl thought to herself, a little relieved, but still mostly thrown off. “Mii~ I’m awake! Sorry!” She cheerfully responded. At least she wouldn’t have to fake a sickly sweet child’s voice any longer.

“Well, hurry and get dressed, before breakfast goes cold. Hmph!”

With that, Rika could hear her friend’s footsteps patter away. She sighed softly, trying not to freak out too much. She applied some rational thinking to the situation – she’d most likely find out what year this ‘Reiwa’ was sooner or later. That still didn’t explain why she was a teenager, though. She’d have to do some snooping _later_ , anyway. Duty called. She swore to herself she’d get to the bottom of the mystery, taking just one moment to make an oath to Hanyuu, before spinning around and starting a brand new day.

…


End file.
